Die Sterne
by Ray Venn Hakubi
Summary: Two lost souls cry out across space and time, linked by a sense of failure and self-hate. Though they can never meet, somehow, two girls with the same voice unite.
1. The Girl in the Mirror

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. In fact, I'm not even sure if I _like_ Naruto. But there you have it. Naruto belongs to Shueisha, and was written by Masashi Kishimoto.

Also, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and Ivory. It was written by Masaki Tzusiki,

'My Fate' was published by Avex Trax, and written and performed by Anna Tsuchiya.

'Innocent Starter' was published by King Records, and written and performed by Mizuki Nana.

'Concrete Angel' was published by Epic, written by Alex Christensen, and performed by Yasmin Knock.

* * *

Chapter One: The girl in the mirror. (Op: _Concrete Angel_)

Hyuuga Hinata, age seven, was sitting on her bed. She had no idea what the time was, and had little care for such matters – or any other. She had tried her hardest, and yet... it hadn't been good enough. Her younger sister was as skilled as she, while their cousin Neji had outstripped her long ago.

Her father had finally given up. The following Monday, she would be transferred to the Academy for basic instruction, rather than following her family's tradition of home-schooling until the final graduation year. Perhaps Hinata could have been an effective ninja... but she was Hyuuga, and a Hyuuga with a weak jyuuken was worse than useless.

It almost seemed too much effort to focus her eyes to see her reflection in the full-length mirror opposite the window by which she sat. It almost seemed too much effort to continue breathing. The helpless feelings had been growing for some time, and finally with her father's decision, the crushing weight of despair had settled upon Hinata's small shoulders like a mantle of shame.

Any competent therapist – any competent general practitioner – would have seen the signs of depression forming long ago, but naturally the Hyuuga were above such weak things as mere doctors. When they were injured, they saw a medic-nin. When they had witnessed atrocity, they leaned upon each other. When they killed, they had siblings to care for them.

No competent GP had the slightest clue that Hyuuga Hinata existed as a person.

She didn't even react when she heard her sister's scream of pain as Hanabi was put through the same gruelling training exercises that Hinata had failed at mere hours before. Even reacting... there was nothing she could do. A sharp cracking sound preceded another scream....

And Hinata realised that it was not her sister screaming. Her eyes swam, the world shimmering behind tears of despair and shared pain, and for long moments, she stared not at the grey walls of her own bedroom, at her small reflection in the laughing mirror, but at what appeared to be a throne room, a red carpet beneath her feet and black walls, lit by golden prisms.

"Why do you always disappoint me, my Fate..?" A woman's voice asked, hints of madness laying hidden beneath false concern. "How can you be so cruel to your poor mother..?" A phantom hand – the woman's hand? - touched her cheek almost gently, before the woman stepped back and raised the whip in her hand, bringing it across....

Hinata felt the searing line of agony across her own back as the whip curled around her/not her ribs to score across her shoulders.

"I'm s-sorry... mother..." The voice sounded like Hinata's own, and yet... surely there wasn't such a note of sadness and loss in it. The world swam again, and Hinata felt a sense of vertigo, before finding herself staring at her cousin's white eyes.

"Hinata-sama. Are you well?" Neji asked, coldly, stepping back once her eyes had focussed again.

"Y-yes..." Hinata whispered, nodding slowly. "I'm... s-sorry..."

"You worried your servants, screaming like that." Neji told her. "But if you are not harmed, I must return to my training."

"No, I... I'm fine. Thank you, Neji-niisan..." Hinata mustered up the energy to give him a small smile. "I think... I fell asleep."

Neji frowned at her, then nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind him and leaving Hinata to flop back on the bed and stare at the ceiling.

'_That... wasn't a dream... or genjutsu..._' Hinata thought to herself, whispering even in her own mind, half afraid that terrible woman could hear her. '_Was it... some kind of vision from the Byakugan? No... _my_ mother is dead..._' Her thoughts paused as she realised something else. '_And I'm... not Fate. I'm Hinata. But that Fate... had my voice... and my feelings..._' It wasn't much... but it was enough. Hinata realised the truth: She was not alone. Somewhere, out there, someone felt her pain.

* * *

Hinata didn't feel that connection again for another year, until a particularly brutal training accident landed her in the infirmary. She was sure it had been an accident... Haruno-san wasn't reliable enough to have been chosen to teach her a lesson by her father.

Still, it was a crippling blow to her self-confidence. Haruno had demolished her with a single strike that had somehow penetrated her guard. Her Jyuuken had suffered further after being reduced to only one hour of serious training a week with Hyuuga trainers, forcing her to pick up from scratch the academy-schooled Taijutsu style. While that came easier to her than Jyuuken, she was still years behind those who had been learning since joining the academy at age four.

As she lay, once again, on a clean white sheet, she felt a sense of disconnection from the world. Too weak to attempt to activate the Byakugan, she was limited to her mundane senses as the room subtly changed. The pain in her chest became more acute, and the ceiling was decorated with moulded plaster and gilt.

"Fate-chan... how do you feel?" A woman asked, and Hinata felt herself struggle to sit up before being pushed gently back down. It wasn't her mother, but a brown-haired woman wearing a servant's uniform of some kind.

"I will be fine." Hinata heard herself saying. "Arf..?"

"Is resting. The bonding ritual was successful. The pain you're feeling is due to an unregulated power surge just as the ritual completed. I still haven't been able to determine the cause." The woman moved to where Hinata/Fate could see her while laying down, and smiled.

"I feel.. strange." Fate murmured, softly. "As though... another were... I were not here."

"Likely, feedback from your new familiar. Can you tell how she is feeling?"

"No, Linith..." Fate shook her head. "It's not... her. It's the other... from twelve months ago."

"I see." The woman – Linith – frowned. "It's not fading?"

Hinata felt Fate shake her head.

"Where is she? What can you learn?" Linith asked, concerned, and waved a hand through the air, murmuring something. Hinata gasped as a series of screens and arrays appeared, though Fate's body did not react.

"She is... hurt." Fate whispered. "An accident... she is in a... hospital?" Hinata was vaguely aware of someone murmuring in the background, frantic-sounding med-nin filling the room. "They are worried... her chakra coils are confused. I believe they mean her magic... or something like it. Her name is..."

"Hinata." Hinata whispered, causing a furor among the med-nin. If she tried, concentrated her chakra control, she could see them, even understand what they were saying. It must be the same for Fate attempting to focus on Linith. "Who are you... Fate..? Why do you... hurt like I do..?" As she whispered, two of the medic-nin started forming hand seals.

"Fate, break it. Break the link, _right now_!" Linith was shouting, suddenly, and Hinata watched, helpless, as she formed strange hand-seals that looked nothing like anything she had been taught at home or in the Academy. She felt Fate twist and squirm within/beside her, and suddenly, she was alone again, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, surrounded by medical-nin.

"She's stabilising." One of them declared. "Her coils are normalising..."

"She's ok. Hinata-sama, can you hear me?" Another asked, and after a moment was recognised as an outcast Branch Family member.

"I can..." Hinata whispered, nodding. "And see you."

"Good." The branch member seemed relieved. If the Hyuuga princess had died on her watch, disgrace or not, her own head would have rolled. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"No..." Hinata shook her head. "I'm s-sorry. I d-do not know."

"Alright. Well, if you remember anything, be sure to let us know." The other med-nin told her, before looking to one side and nodding to someone, who left rapidly. "How do you feel?"

"A l-little off centre..." Hinata admitted, sitting up slowly. "My chest is sore..."

"We repaired the damage. It's probably just some phantom pain left over from the blow you took. That Haruno girl is going to be dangerous some day, unless she gets her chakra under control." The Hyuuga med-nin muttered the last part. "You should take the rest of the day off to rest. You can stay here if you wish." As the med-nin spoke, the other people present gradually filtered out of the room, leaving them alone together.

"T-thank you." Hinata whispered. "I will..." She lay back down, pulling the sheet over herself weakly.

"I'll leave you to it, then." The med-nin stepped away, and left her. Hinata attempted to slip into a meditative trance, trying to re-establish that connection she had felt, but the task seemed impossible now. She almost felt it, for a moment, before it was brutally severed once more, and Hinata realised that somehow, she had been _sealed_. Unbidden, silent tears leaked from her eyes as she stared up at the ceiling. That remembered presence – the sense that, even after failing, being dropped from her father's training regime, she was _not alone_... it had kept her alive, kept her wishing to become better so that some day, she could look at her father proudly and say 'I did it'. Her heartfelt desire... just like that Fate's.

Yet now... because of that Linith... Fate didn't want her any more. A small part of Hinata changed, then, as she finally learned a part of the Hyuuga legacy that had been denied to her. Hatred, coalescing inside her, towards the brunette who had cut her off from the friend she never had. A small fire, now, but in time...

It was with a welling anger that she drifted across the thin line between deep meditation and sleep, and perhaps it was sleep that saved her. Not her own, but as the other slept, her crying soul reached out just as Hinata's did. Linith's barrier dissolved at a touch, and with a little assistance, Fate reached out to the other soul that knew her pain.

In the darkness of their dreams, three souls met in the shifting dimensional sea. In the darkness, colour faded, a soft glow surrounding the three figures as they met.

Hinata put her hands together, nervously tapping her fingers together as she finally saw Fate. The blonde eight-year-old's long hair was worn up in two long tails, and she wore a simple white dress with red belts at the throat and wrists. Her left hand was out to the side, and rested on the flank of an enormous, fox-hued wolf that outmassed both children combined. Hinata's dead, white eyes met Fate's depthlessly sad red irises, then focussed on her black pupils, looking so out of place in a familiar face.

"You are... Hinata." Fate whispered, the tone of her voice lost despite the identical pitch.

"Y-yes..." Hinata nodded. "Fate..." She was stammering, but somehow, it was okay. "T-thank you... because of you, I..."

"No..." Fate shook her head. "I... know your heart. Your father, still..." And that was all that needed to be said.

"And your m-mother." Hinata swallowed. "Will I... ever..."

"Be good enough..?" Fate finished the sentence, then shifted her gaze slightly to look past her. "No... I won't... but..."

"We have to keep trying..." Hinata agreed. "Because... they're wrong. Father will..."

"Return to the way she was before... the kind, gentle mother that I remember..."

"When I can prove I'm worthy of his love again." Hinata swallowed, finishing Fate's sentence.

"Maybe then... s/he'll smile again..." They spoke together, closing their eyes as Fate clasped her hands to her throat.

"But to do that... I have to get stronger..." Fate whispered. "And... so do you... Hinata. Just... not giving up isn't enough..."

"We have to learn something... that is suited to us... your techniques..." Hinata suggested, timidly.

"Your magic..." Fate nodded. "But... we cannot learn tonight... I am too weak... as are you..."

"From our accidents..." Hinata nodded. "But... I know you're real, now... and... you want... this. We can meet, again and again..."

"Until it is enough. Until we can see their happy, proud smiles again..." Fate agreed, hand clenching gently in the dire wolf's fur ruff.

"Fate-chan... Hinata-chan..." The wolf spoke at last, mouth hanging open. "I'm sorry. Intruding with such timing..."

"No, Arf..." Fate gave a weak, sad smile to her familiar. "It's thanks to your power that we have finally met... so, please..."

"Continue to lend us your strength, Arf-san..." Hinata finished, shyly.

"Right..." Arf nodded, slowly. "I won't let you down. Either of you." The wolf was older, more confident in herself than either human girl. "But neither of you can maintain this any longer tonight. Goodbye, Hinata-chan."

"Y-yes..." Hinata whispered, nodding as the blonde and her wolf slowly started to fade as the white glow around them dissipated. "Good luck..."

"Safe dreams..." Fate whispered back, and then Hinata was alone as the darkscape faded into a normal dream.

(Ed: _My Fate_)


	2. The Next Change

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. In fact, I'm not even sure if I _like_ Naruto. But there you have it. Naruto belongs to Shueisha, and was written by Masashi Kishimoto.

Also, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and Ivory. It was written by Masaki Tzusiki,

'My Fate' was published by Avex Trax, and written and performed by Anna Tsuchiya.

'Innocent Starter' was published by King Records, and written and performed by Mizuki Nana.

'Concrete Angel' was published by Epic, written by Alex Christensen, and performed by Yasmin Knock.

* * *

Chapter Two: The Next Change (Op: _Concrete Angel_)

Just over a year later, the April after Hinata's ninth birthday, Hinata slipped into the semi-aware dreaming state she had found that was the best place to meet with Fate to find her closest friend smiling openly, a hopeful look in her sad eyes.

"Hinata." Fate said, and Hinata gave her a timid smile back.

"Fate... you seem happy." While Hinata still stammered, she found Fate so much easier to talk to that she almost never got stuck over words in this place.

"Yes..." Fate nodded, slowly. "Mother has given me a mission..."

"A real one..?" Hinata asked, frowning slightly. "But... you're not..."

"Ready? I am." Fate nodded, resolve slipping into her eyes. "For this... but she has said... that when I return to her, everything will be better."

"I see..." Hinata nodded, slowly. "Will you... still be able to come here?" Her heart ached at the thought of losing her friend.

"Yes... I believe so." Fate nodded. "And when my mother smiles again... perhaps too, your father..."

"I can't show him..." Hinata looked down. "Not yet... I'm too young... I won't receive a mission for two more years..."

"I know..." Fate stepped forward, and touched her hand gently. Hinata noticed that instead of bare skin, a black glove covered her friend's hand. She took in the other girl's costume for the first time. Rather than her typical white dress, she wore a black, skin-tight leotard, a decorative white half-skirt, and thick, black gloves. Her friend wore matching, mid-thigh length stockings under semi-practical ankle boots. Over the top of everything was a black cloak.

Hinata took Fate's hand between her own, and smiled softly. "Good luck... will you tell me about it?"

"Everything." Fate nodded. "A number of power crystals have been scattered across a place called Earth. She wishes me to retrieve these Jewel Seeds..."

"Power crystals..? Won't... there be danger on Earth? The Bureau you've told me about?" Hinata asked, her breath catching in worry.

"There should be no danger. Earth is a non-administered world. There should be no opposition save the crystals themselves, should they become active." Fate smiled. "I will be fine. Arf is with me... and Bardiche." She inclined her head, slightly. "If they fail... I have Jyuuken."

"Yes..." Hinata swallowed. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Fate asked, tilting her head slightly. "You have taught me well..."

"But... it's no use..." The other sighed, softly. "Without the Byakugan..."

"I have nearly attained it." Fate murmured. "The spell is almost prepared. Then we can share your Byakugan. By the end of this mission..."

"So soon..?" Hinata asked, swallowing. "Then... we should train... a little more." She knew it was forbidden to teach Jyuuken outside the clan... and yet, Fate was closer than her clan had ever been. They were two sides of a coin, and yet as they grew to know each other, they became more akin to the same side of two coins. Knowledge bled between them through more than training, and as ever, their feelings matched, their hearts beating together.

"Yes..." Fate nodded, bringing up her free hand to clench a fist before her chest. Hinata released her other hand, and stepped back, dropping into the basic Jyuuken stance. Fate mirrored the action, and the two paused for a long moment before stepping forward into the spar.

* * *

Hinata's classes the next day seemed to drag on, with no exercise to look forward to that night. Fate would be in transit between her home in the Garden of Time and the planet, Earth's, surface. First period dragged on through home language, then second was almost as boring, even as she was called to read from the book written in the language of the Land of Ice.

"What is the meaning of this travesty? The young matriarch demanded of her students. They have come from the Lands of the Mist to claim tribute, Kage-sama, the eldest of them answered..." Hinata read aloud.

Third period was more interesting, as they practised channelling their chakra, but Hinata was not so poor a Hyuuga as that, and had long ago mastered this art. She was far from the only one – Aburame Shino and, of course, her dear cousin Neji were both her superiors – but she was, in a small way, proud of her achievement.

Then there was lunch, during which she spent the whole afternoon watching, as she had done for the last year. The subject of her scrutiny was none other than the class clown, the only one to fail worse than she herself. Uzumaki Naruto was a strange figure, with his blonde hair and bright orange jumpsuit. He managed to stand out in any crowd, but this particular group didn't offer much of a challenge in that regard. Ninja students all, they tended towards drab colours – though, of course, there was always that civilian-born girl Naruto kept staring at. Between her pink hair and red dress, she was almost as conspicuous as the blonde.

Naruto's obviousness wasn't the main reason Hinata liked to watch him, however. She couldn't help but admire his determination. He was a weak ninja... yet... so strong as a person. It wasn't the same iron core that lay at Fate's heart, or the weaker one that lay inside Hinata. Naruto wore his pride on the outside, bulling through any problems with a smile and a joke. Hinata knew he was dangerous, that she wasn't supposed to associate with him... and so she watched, from the background, and tried to learn how he did it.

If not for Fate, she might have developed stronger feelings towards him. Without that comforting presence in her dreams, the occasional ghostly hug while she was awake, he could have been her sole inspiration. What a pair they would have made – her, too shy to ever approach, and he, proudly declaring his independence. Naruto frightened her, but at the same time... if he, an orphan with no support, could be such an outgoing survivor... then perhaps she too could some day shine.

"Hinata..." Fate whispered, across the void, and waited until the black-haired girl appeared, fading out of the darkness, covered in the same, soft glow that partially hid them both in this darkspace.

"Fate..?" Hinata asked, quietly. Fate was wearing her armour again, while Hinata wore her white, fur-lined hoodie over her blacks. "Is something wrong?"

"I... do not know." Fate shook her head. "There is... another, here, seeking the Jewel Seeds..."

"Is he... a problem?" Hinata asked, frowning. "You said..."

"There would be no opposition." Fate nodded. "But she does not know much magic. I do not believe she even knew of it before the Jewel Seeds came..."

"You are not worried..?" Hinata bit her lip. "Is she... attempting to stop you..?"

"No... and yes..." Fate admitted, shifting her gaze away. "She says... she wants to talk, and yet..."

"You fight... she won't just give up the Seeds to you..." Hinata sighed, softly. "I'm sure... if she just knew why... she would..."

"Yet... just words... can't communicate anything." Fate finished. "I can't... convey my feelings..."

"Then... fight." Hinata suggested, quietly. "Fight her... and show your heart through that. It is..."

"What we were made for..." The blonde nodded. "Through fighting... maybe we can share our heart..."

"And learn her reasons." Hinata agreed. "I have... something new to share, if you wish..?" She offered, quietly.

"Yes..." Fate nodded, and Hinata began to explain the hand signs for the Clone Technique.

* * *

Two weeks later, Hinata was starting to get worried. She hadn't heard from Fate in two days, and from the last thing she'd heard, things had been going downhill. There had been a moment of waking connection, when she'd felt Fate's pain at failing her mother and done her best to comfort her closest friend, but nothing since then.

She struggled to clear her mind and concentrate on the group Taijutsu exercise, going through the motions of the kata with the rest of the class. It was a kunai form, and the weight of the practice blade in her hand was somewhat comforting as she turned it over in her fingers before going into an under-hand thrust, following up with a half-turn to block a strike from the above-left. As she brought her foot up to make the next motion, the darkness yawned open before her and she fell into the between-state. She felt Fate's body around her, injured and in pain, the sharp edges of Bardiche cutting into her hands.

"...doll I created to play as my daughter..." Fate's mother was visible on a large screen at the front of the room, which appeared to be some kind of command centre. A teal-haired woman stood just in front of Fate – Captain Harlaown, Fate's mind provided. Fate's mother was pressing her hands against a large tank, in which slept... Fate... "Are you listening? I'm talking about you... Fate..." Her mother's voice was cold, almost... spiteful. But that couldn't be...

"Even after I went to the trouble of giving you Alicia's memories, only your appearance is the same." Precia told her, and Fate/Hinata's heart tightened, painfully. "You were such useless, unusable scum... my little doll."

"No.. I'm not..." Hinata whispered, frantically, hoping Fate could hear her. She put everything into the connection, ignoring her body, barely registering the students and Instructor Guy gathering around her. "I'm not... a doll..."

"Precia lost her... true daughter, Alicia Testarossa." A woman was saying, quietly. "She wasn't just researching the creation of familiars... but something surpassing them... an artificial mage project..." The woman swallowed. "Also... the secret art of reincarnation... the name, 'Fate', came from the research project she was involved with."

"You've done your research." Precia – Fate's mother – murmured. "You're right. It's just as you said." She stood, pressing her cheek against the glass near the girl in the tube's face. "But in the end, it was all worthless. It didn't go even slightly as planned. In the end, the life of an artificial product is just as it sounds... nothing but a product." She pulled away slightly, to glare at Fate through the screen. "It couldn't possibly replace something I lost. Alicia smiled much more sweetly than you. She'd speak out of selfishness every now and then, but she always listened to what I had to say."

"Stop it..." The girl at Fate's side whispered., and Hinata spoke with her. "Please, stop..."

"Alicia was always so good to me..." Precia ignored her, staring at the figure in the tube once more with longing, before glancing back over her shoulder with contempt. "Fate, in the end, you were really nothing but an imitation of Alicia. Even after I gave you her precious memories, you were no good."

"Stop it.." Hinata whispered, hugging herself. "Why... say such things..?"

The brunette beside Fate was speaking similar thoughts. Nanoha, Hinata remembered. She must be the girl Fate had told her about.

"You were nothing but a doll made for my consolation while I was working on bringing Alicia back to life." Precia hunched her shoulders. "And that's why I no longer need you." She whispered, before turning and making a sweeping gesture. "Vanish from the face of this world!" She commanded, almost violently, then started laughing at Nanoha's demands.

Fate/Hinata remembered... Precia/Hiashi's smiling face, from so long ago... They remembered the disappointment and pain as Precia punished their failure, Father's crushing mask as Hinata took hits when she failed in her training excercises.

"I'll tell you something good, Fate..." Precia's voice dropped half an octave as though revealing a precious secret. "Ever since I created you, I've always hated you." Precia smirked, then laughed again, the same low, nigh-psychotic chuckle. At that moment, Fate's heart shattered. Bardiche fell from her hands, breaking apart when it hit the floor. Hinata started crying aloud, her true body attempting to curl into a ball despite the medic-nin holding her down.

Not knowing what else to do, Hinata reached out blindly, praying with her heart, and her own magic responded, pulling them into the darkspace. Fate no longer glowed, sitting crumpled in the middle of the blackness with barely a flicker of light upon her. Hinata ran to her, falling to her knees and gathering her soul-friend into a hug.

"Fate..." She whispered, voice full of anguish. "Fate... it isn't true..." She told her, as Fate clung tightly to her, tears flowing freely. "You're not a doll... We aren't dolls, Fate..."

"For our families amusement..." Fate whispered through her tears. "We were created... just for..."

"Weapons..." Hinata spoke the conclusion before she could stop herself. "But we aren't... father didn't discard me because..."

"We failed... We weren't strong enough... or real enough..." Fate told her, and Hinata couldn't argue any longer. She knew that it was true.

"I'm worried about those guys, so... I'm gonna go help out a little too, okay?" Arf interrupted them, quietly, her softly glowing wolf form appearing out of the darkness. "I'll be right back. And then, once everything is over... even if it takes a long time... you'll return to the real Fate I love so much, okay..?" The wolf almost seemed to smile. "Because, from now on, you can use your time as freely as _you_ please." And with that, she turned away, fading into the darkness again.

"To the end... Mother never smiled at me..." Fate whispered into Hinata's arms. "I wanted to live... because I wanted mother to accept me...

"No matter how often he told me I wasn't good enough..." Hinata spoke around the lump in her throat.

"No matter what bad things she did to me... I just..." Fate pressed her eyes closed against the tears. "wanted her to smile at me... even though she's so clearly abandoned me now... I'm... still clinging to her. Arf..."

"Arf... who always stayed by your side..." Hinata quietly agreed. "You've probably made her so sad..."

"Since I never listened to anything she had to say..." Fate swallowed again. "I've... let everyone down... I have no... purpose..."

"Then... we'll have to make... our own purpose..." Hinata replied, eventually, clutching Fate tighter. "For... our friends... you have... Arf... and Nanoha... and..."

"I have... you..." Fate admitted slowly. "Hinata..." She swallowed. "Yes... I... can't just throw away everything I've done up to now..."

"We can't... possibly run away now... when everyone is fighting..." Hinata smiled, softly. "Because that's... not... who we are together."

"For me... for us... nothing has begun yet..." Fate sat up. Her eyes still shined, though her tears had stopped falling. "Right... Hinata?"

"Yes..." Hinata nodded, and they stood. Fate stepped back a little, holding out her hand to the side.

"It can't end... like this... between us, either..." Fate whispered, closing her eyes. "Bardiche..." As she spoke, her halberd formed in her hand, and her barrier jacket replaced the off-white pajamas she had been wearing.

"I'll be with you... Fate..." Hinata smiled, as Fate was protected again by the soft glow of their hope.

"Yes..." Fate nodded, and vanished to face her demons.

(Ed: _Innocent Starter_)


	3. A Matter of Opinion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. In fact, I'm not even sure if I _like_ Naruto. But there you have it.

Also, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and Ivory.

'My Fate' was published by Avex Trax, and written and performed by Anna Tsuchiya.

'Innocent Starter' was published by King Records, and written and performed by Mizuki Nana.

'Concrete Angel' was published by Epic, written by Alex Christensen, and performed by Yasmin Knock.

* * *

Chapter 3: A matter of Opinion. (Op: _Concrete Angel_)

"I passed..." Hinata murmured, smiling to herself as she stared down at the headband in her hand. "Perhaps... father will now..." She closed her fingers around the protector. "No..." She frowned. "This is... just normal. To see father smile... I need to be exemplary..."

"Whoo, we passed!" A noisy boy grabbed Hinata around the shoulders and span her round in a little dance. As soon as she recovered from the shock and vertigo, she blinked to see,

"K-kiba!" She squeaked. "Please..."

"Relax, Hinata! You don't have to worry about being proper now. We're ninjas!" He hugged her, then let go to dance with his companion puppy, Akamaru.

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed, wandering past and ducking a wildly swung puppy with casual langour.

Hinata hugged her hands to herself, closing her eyes with a renewed smile. It wasn't enough on its own, but it was at least a start.

Suddenly, a dark aura impinged on the edge of her senses, and she frowned, opening her eyes and looking for the source directly... He was on the swing opposite the entrance they had just filed out of. Naruto. He had failed again... on his third attempt, it wasn't common for someone to take a fourth. Actually, it wasn't all that common for a third attempt - if one couldn't achieve Genin before they were thirteen, there was little chance that they would make a suitable ninja at any age.

Naruto was twelve already. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but what she knew was certain... she couldn't approach him. But the aura she felt... and the look on his face... she knew it so well. From wearing it... and seeing it on Fate...

She couldn't approach, though. Even now... when everyone was here. She daren't... She knew Fate wouldn't forgive her for holding back, but she wasn't as strong as her friend even after three years of training.

Or... was she..? Hinata took a hesitant step towards him, then another. With the third step, she grew a little more confident, and her hands fell to her sides. She fixed her eyes on a spot just above his head, and took a fourth, more confident step. Before she knew it, she was half way across the space, then breaking into a run. Naruto didn't even see her coming until it was too late, and she felt them swing backwards slightly as his seat moved when she put her arms around his shoulders, holding him closely.

"It's ok..." She found herself whispering, and even she wasn't sure if it was her own will, or Fate's influence, that had her holding the blonde boy close. Her senses were drowned in his aura, and she didn't notice that slowly, the entire graduating class had turned their attention to the two children by the swing. "Even if they h-hate you... it's okay... because N-Naruto-kun is strong..."

"Get... off me..." Naruto whispered, hands falling from the rope of the swing to hand limply by his sides. "You... have no idea what you're talking about..." His voice almost seemed to be growling, like Kiba did when he was angry.

"I know..." Hinata told him, quietly. "What it's like t-to fail... and be cast aside... and t-trodden upon like the dirt in my hair..." She only held him tighter, pulling his face into her shoulder. "So... it's okay to c-cry... because... I'm here now. N-naruto-kun..."

"Huh. Didn't think she had it in her." Kiba muttered to the boy standing next to him without looking at who it was. He was mostly talking to Akamaru anyway.

"Hn." Shino murmured, not feeling the need to reply. His destruction bugs had warned him that something was strange about both children – between Naruto's dual chakra, and that strange field Hinata had been generating since the second year he'd known her, he hadn't wanted to approach either.

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered on Kiba's other side. "This isn't going to go down well with her elders."

"Wonder what they're talking about." Ino murmured. "What do you think, Sasu-" She stopped when she realised that her dark-haired heartthrob was nowhere to be seen, while he'd left the academy walking between her and Sakura. "Oooh..!" She growled, and went to hunt down the errant pair, who she was suddenly sure had eloped together.

"Who... are you..?" Naruto asked, still not pulling away. "To pretend you care..." His entire body was almost thrumming with tension. "Just... another cruel joke..."

"No..." Hinata swallowed, and finally let go to look down at him. "It's not a joke... so... next time... I'm sure you'll pass..." She gave him her best smile. "Because... I'll help, okay?"

"Liar..." He growled up at her, finally lifting his head. She saw that his eyes has changed, and brought her hands up to her throat in an unconscious mimicry of Fate's uncertain shyness. His eyes were deep, hateful red, slitted like a cat's in the sun. "You're... just like the rest of them..." He seemed ready to stand up and take a swipe at her, but then the anger faded completely and his eyes turned blue again. "Go away..." He relaxed back down, looking away.

"I... if... that's what..." Hinata stammered, her resolve broken. "You really think, then..." She looked down, and started tapping her fingers together in front of her face.

"Just fuck off." Naruto muttered, sounding lost. There was no malice in it, despite the harsh language. Hinata started to turn away, eyes downcast, when she felt a soft pressure on her hands, then a hug.

"Fate...." She whispered, but if Naruto heard her he made no comment. A silent voice whispered words into her mind, and she nodded. "You're right..." She lifted her eyes again, looking back at Naruto. "I will... never back down... or t-take back my words..." She spoke with as much force as she could muster, making the words come out as a soft admonition where she had wanted to speak them with determination. "Because... that is my Ninja way..." She swallowed, before continuing. "Were... w-were those just words... N-naruto-kun..? I looked up t-to you for s-so long..."

"What?" He looked back, confused.

"In my dark times..." Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat again. "When I was ready to give up... to just... lay down and d-die... I l-looked at you... and t-thought... if someone who has n-nothing can... p-push ahead with his s-strong dreams... then a spoiled person like me has... no right to run away either..." Hesitantly, she stepped forward again. "So... if you want... I'll teach you... So that when you take the test next year... you can become a Genin... and a Chuunin..."

"Is that even true..?" Naruto mumbled, not looking at her. "You... you're that strange girl who always looks away... avoids me... so how am I supposed to believe you want to help? You can't even bear to look me in the eye."

"I was scared..." Hinata admitted, softly. "Normally, I... I'm not a strong person who c-can stand up and state... they want to take on the world..." She reached out to touch him on the shoulder again. "When I can't even look at... my own father... but... t-today... I can meet your eyes... and even if I f-flinch... I won't look away. N-naruto-kun." She touched his whisker-marked cheek, and gently turned his head to look him in the eye. They were blue again, though darkened by despair.

"Alright..." Naruto nodded, slowly. "I'll take a chance... on you. Without looking back... or taking back my words." The darkness in his eyes was lifted by hope. "Because I haven't given up either." He took Hinata's proffered hand, and stood up, finally smiling back.

The moment was broken when he hesitated, then scratched at the back of his head with his other hand. "Actually... what was your name, anyway?"

"Hinata." She smiled back. "Hyuuga Hinata. Want to be friends?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, with a grin. "This calls for something special, 'coz tomorrow, I start on my new path to becoming Hokage! This calls for Ichiraku's!"

"R-right." Hinata squeaked, taken off guard by his sudden upswing. "What's that?"

"You don't know Ichiraku's?" Naruto blinked. "And they call me a worthless criminal. Come on, I'll show you!" He turned, without letting go of her hand, and ran off, pulling her after him.

"O-okay..!" Hinata ran to keep up, caught off guard, but smiling as the blonde boy practically dragged her through the streets.

* * *

"So what happened then?" Fate asked, smiling as they sat together in the darkspace, leaning against Arf's warm flank.

"Well, he dragged me through town, so... I think everyone knows that there's something between us now. My father... didn't say anything when I returned." Hinata sighed, softly, looking at the hands in her lap. "We ended up at a ramen stand in the middle of town. It was... pretty good...."

"And..?" Fate asked, nudging her gently with a smile.

"He... talked. He talks a lot... very loudly..." Hinata admitted. "I don't think he quite knows how loud he is, but... he was telling me about his plans... And... why he wants to become Hokage..."

"Because then... people will accept him." Fate nodded, slowly. They had gotten better over the years at holding a conversation, rather than simply finishing each others sentences. Perhaps it was because they were slowly becoming more different as Fate found her new place within the Time and Space Administration Bureau, and Hinata began to mature as a person. "It's... not a bad goal, if maybe a little high... but...

"When you're shooting for the top... even if you miss... you'll likely land higher than you are." Hinata smiled. Part of her missed the total rapport they'd had before, but another part was glad to have a more normal friend. She didn't acknowledge the third part of her, which was afraid that as they grew more different, the resonance that allowed them to continue meeting would start to weaken as well. "Well, I've promised to help him train, so..."

"I hope it's enough." Fate smiled, nodding. "You've got the skills... If you had used magic, you probably could have been Number One Rookie..."

"No..." Hinata shook her head. "There's no way... but..." She smiled, a little. "In the chuunin exams... if I'm entered... then I'll definitely..."

"Use magic to come top..." Fate finished. "Are they that hard..?"

"The hardest." Hinata admitted. "Beyond Chuunin... you have to be specially selected to advance, it's not done on an exam basis." She smiled, slightly. "But... if I do make Jounin, then..."

"You'll have the recognition regardless of your father..." Fate smiled. "So... what does he look like? Even though you've talked about him for over a year now... you still haven't shown me."

"Oh." Hinata blinked, then cupped her hands in front of her, closing her eyes and focussing, before murmuring soft words and opening her hands like a flower blooming. An illusory image appeared above them, showing a bust of Naruto with his mischievous grin. "Like that... more or less..." She smiled. The illusion wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.

"Hmm..." Fate leaned forwards, curious. "Blonde. I approve." She smiled, making Hinata blush. "He has clear eyes..." She paused. "And... whiskers?" She blinked, then looked at Hinata.

"I think they might be tattoos.." Hinata admitted, still blushing, but she couldn't tap her fingers together because of maintaining the illusion. "I daren't ask... but he's always had them."

"Hmm. Curious..." Fate frowned, thoughtfully. "Maybe it's something his parents gave him before they died..."

Hinata just nodded, silently, and released the illusion spell. The friends sat together quietly for a short while, simply enjoying being with someone who understood.

"Hinata..." Fate broke the silence, eventually. "I think it's time..."

"Mmh..." The other nodded, slowly. "Then... you'll teach me..?"

"Yes." Fate nodded. "My trickiest spell... if not the most powerful... I don't know if you can manage it without a Device, but..."

Hinata smiled.

* * *

"Hey, hey, Hinata!" She felt herself being shaken awake, and frowned slightly before opening her eyes to look at the one speaking to her. As ever, she wasn't sure when meditating in the darkspace had slipped into a true dream, but she figured it had been at least an hour since then.

Which begged the question of why Naruto was in her room in the middle of the night.

"N-naruto..?" She asked, stammering slightly, then blushing when she realised she was in her night clothes. "How did you get in here..?"

"I walked." He grinned. "Amazing what you can do when no-one really expects anyone to try and sneak past them. Come on, I got something I want your help with!"

"B-but it's the middle of the n-night..." Hinata pointed out. "W-what's so important..?" She bit her lip, worried that he might see it as a rejection.

"This." He grinned, and her attention was drawn to the massive scroll he was practically leaning on. Actually, it was taller than he was. "It's pretty complicated, but you'll help me, right?"

"I.. I did promise..." She nodded, slowly. "A.. all right. J-just give me a minute... I.. I'll meet you by tree near the front entrance..."

"Huh, but..." Naruto blinked, then frowned... then realised what she meant. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Sorry." He grinned again, winking, and jumped over her and out through the window. Hinata sighed to herself, trying her best not to be amused by his antics, then swung her legs out of bed before crossing to the wardrobe to get dressed. Given that it was nearly midnight in October, she decided to go with a thermal bodyglove covered by her usual training blacks, with her Hyuuga hoodie over the top. She might overheat a little if things got too physical, but she wasn't expecting to do any serious taijutsu tonight if they were just translating a scroll. She then followed Naruto's path out of the window, though she caught herself before she started to fall using _Light Wing_, her incomplete form of Fate's flight spell. It was only good for gliding at the moment, but she was sure that with a little more work, she'd be as agile in the air as her friend.

Angling through the air, she glided silently over the compound's outer wall, carefully staying in the blind spot of one of the Branch Family guards. Turning, she swept through the treetops before allowing herself to gently fall to the ground, spotting Naruto easily by his orange jacket.

"N-naruto-kun..?" She asked, quietly, and he span to face her.

"Hinata! How'd you do that? I couldn't hear you at all! And you got behind me!" He blabbered on, just quietly enough that the entire Hyuuga compound didn't wake up... probably.

"S-secret..." She smiled a little. "W-we should go elsewhere... b-before someone notices I'm not in my room..."

"I know." Naruto nodded. "I know just the place. Mizuki-sensei told me about it, no-one will find us there and we can practice what's on the scroll!"

"M-mizuki-sensei..?" Hinata asked, blinking. "H-he gave you that scroll..?" She asked, following the orange ninja as he started running off through the woods.

"Well, kind of. He told me where to get it." Naruto nodded. "With the techniques in here, I'll be able to become Hokage for sure."

"I s-see..." Hinata frowned, slightly, starting to grow suspicious. "W-where did you get it..?"

"The old man's library." Naruto grinned. "There were some traps or something near it, but they were probably for that old shrine in the corner... and he was easy to beat. I wonder if that old man's really Hokage..."

"If... it w-was that easy... h-he probably let you through..." Hinata stammered, relaxing a little. If that was true, then the Hokage knew Naruto had the scroll and approved.

"Well, maybe." Naruto laughed. "But some day I'll just be that good!"

He was slowing down now, and came to a rest in the middle of a clearing. Hinata recognised it as being one of the training grounds.

"Naruto-kun..?" She looked at him, curiously.

"Here..." He looked at her, and opened the scroll, leaning it against one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. Hinata moved next to him, and together they examined the scroll. "Huh..."

"The first technique is... really easy." Hinata murmured, reading the small section once, then stepping back and going over it in her mind. Putting her hands together, index and middle finger extended to form a cross in front of her face, she focussed, nudged Chakra through the shape and called, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

As she finished the technique, a puff of smoke appeared beside her. She turned to look at it, and blinked as her shadow clone did the same thing.

"Um... hello." The clone waved, shyly.

"H-hi..." Hinata whispered, feeling drained and a little faint. After a moment, she recognised it for what it was, apparently at the same time as the clone, and they reached out to touch each other in an attempt to let Hinata reabsorb the Chakra held within the construct. The clone exploded, unexpectedly, knocking Hinata back into Naruto's chest as he moved to catch her.

"Oof." He grunted. "Oops." He set her back on her feet with a grin. "Guess we shouldn't touch our clones. I guess I'll give it a go, then..." He stepped away from her, and Hinata watched as he crouched, formed the hand seal and focussed, brute-forcing Chakra through the seal in a vulgar manner. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Perhaps it was the rough way he'd handled the technique, or the much larger amount of Chakra he'd pushed through it, but Naruto managed to make two clones straight away, before straightening up and grinning at them. "I did it! Now let them test me on the Clone Technique!" He laughed aloud, doing a little dance. His two clones high-fived each other and mutually annihilated, but Naruto didn't seem affected by the terrible Chakra drain Hinata had felt.

"I... I don't know if this is really the same technique..." Hinata stammered, but Naruto didn't hear her. "B-but we should start on the next one... I d-don't think we'll get much time to study the s-scroll..."

"Right, right!" Naruto grinned, calming down a little and bouncing back over to unroll the scroll a little further. "Hmm, what've we got here..." The two of them examined the next 'page' of the scroll of seals carefully.

"It's... a technique for..." Hinata frowned, going over it again.

"Destroying large objects!" Naruto grinned. "Awesome, I should definitely... h-hey, Hinata, what are you doing?" He yelped as she moved on to the next page without consulting him, rolling the first two loosely to hide them.

"W-We don't need that kind of wide-scale d-destruction jutsu..." Hinata told him. "E-especially not when it's a s-suicide technique..."

"Sui-what?" Naruto blinked at her. She blinked back.

"It means if you use it, you d-die, Naruto-kun..." She told him, softly.

"Oh. Who'd make a stupid technique like that?" Naruto scowled. "What's that one?"

"A... s-smaller version." Hinata blinked. "Kuwaire no Jutsu..." She started reading.

"Huh." Naruto got a few characters down before stopping. "I don't get it. What kind of a technique is this?"

"It's a sensing technique... very high level..." Hinata frowned. "So... why 'ground-breaking'..?" She read a little further down. "Oh." She mumbled, shortly. "This is..." She swallowed, and looked at Naruto, who blinked at her in confusion.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked. "You were really into that..."

"It's... no, you... couldn't..." She looked down, tapping her fingers together.

"Couldn't what?" He blinked. "You think there's a technique I can't do? Apart from that stupid Clone thing."

"No, you... could do this... it's just..." She glanced back at the scroll. "That technique... it's the same as my Byakugan..."

"Your what?" He blinked again.

"Byakugan... my blood limit. The reason the Hyuuga are... so highly ranked." Hinata explained. "It lets me see the flow of Chakra within a person... it's the secret to Jyuuken..."

"Whoa. That's a really cool power." Naruto grinned, and looked back at the scroll, trying to understand it. "But... hey, Hinata..."

"W-what..?" Hinata looked at him, blinking. "Y-you shouldn't read that..."

"I know, I know." Naruto waved his hand, dismissively. "You said your Byako-thingie sees Chakra in people, right?"

"Y-yes..." Hinata nodded.

"So what's this stuff about objects?" He pointed at the scroll, and Hinata peered at it in confusion.

"N-no way..." She gasped, softly. "But... rocks don't have chakra... and... it doesn't _work_ on living things..?"

"Guess it doesn't work off Chakra." Naruto grinned. "That's great, I can learn this, right?" He tapped the text for Kuwaire no Jutsu, and Hinata nodded.

"I'll... study it too.." She smiled, and they started reading carefully. The technique was much more complex than Kage Bunshin, and neither of them managed it first time. As the night wore on, Hinata found herself yawning and starting to fall asleep on her feet.

"Ne... Naruto-kun..." She mumbled, stepping back and rubbing her eyes. "I'm getting too tired, I can't focus my eyes any more..."

"It's ok." He smiled at her. "Go home and get some sleep. I'll see you here again tomorrow, after I get out of class?"

"Should do." Hinata nodded. "But I'll be getting my Jounin teacher assignment, too... so I might be a little late."

Naruto just nodded. "Ok. Come here when you're done then... I'm gonna work on the scroll a bit longer."

"I'll... see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled, finally, and headed out back into the forest, murmuring an alarm spell, not trusting herself to try and convert magic into chakra to keep awake or get home without either.

(Ed: _Innocent Starter_)


	4. Demon of Water

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. In fact, I'm not even sure if I _like_ Naruto. But there you have it.

Also, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha belongs to Seven Arcs and Ivory.

'My Fate' was published by Avex Trax, and written and performed by Anna Tsuchiya.

'Innocent Starter' was published by King Records, and written and performed by Mizuki Nana.

'Concrete Angel' was published by Epic, written by Alex Christensen, and performed by Yasmin Knock.

* * *

Chapter 4: Demon of Water (Op: Concrete Angel)

"I met my new team-mates today." Hinata murmured with a small smile during a break from sparring with Fate.

"Oh? Who is it..?" The blonde asked, curiously, sitting Indian-style beside the reclining brunette.

"Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino..." Hinata smiled a little.

"The dog ninja and the creepy bug guy?" Fate asked, lifting her eyebrow. "How are they?"

"They're... nice." Hinata decided. "Kiba's really honest though... it's a little scary. Shino... he's not so creepy really... just quiet. They both worked really well together... and they don't treat me like I'm a failure..."

"That's good." Fate smiled back. "What about your sensei?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai... she's a genjutsu specialist, and really nice... but... she picked me for my bloodline limit..." Hinata looked down, remembering. "I wish that... just once..."

"... someone would like you for you. But there's still Naruto, right? He doesn't just think of you as the Byakugan on legs." Fate smiled at her, and Hinata looked up to blink at her.

"You're right... thank you.." She smiled back. "I'm sorry... it's just so easy to..."

"I know." Fate reached out to touch her shoulder, gently. "How was he this morning?"

"Ahh... it was really surprising!" Hinata squeaked excitedly, remembering. "Something must have happened, 'cause Mizuki-sensei never showed up and Iruka was injured, but Naruto-kun had a a forehead protector. He's on a team with two of the most popular people in class."

"... Sasuke, and..." Fate frowned, trying to think, "Sakura?" She guessed. "That seems odd..."

"Yes." Hinata nodded. "Well... even with what ever happened, he was still dead last... so it's traditional to pair him up with the number one rookie... and Sakura has the best chakra control of everyone, so maybe..."

"... They thought she could help with his overcharge problem..." Fate nodded her understanding. "He... didn't talk to you?"

"No..." Hinata shook her head. "We didn't have time between assignment and everyone meeting with their teams... Kurenai assessed us today, I don't know what's happening with Naruto's sensei, since he was so late. The sensei, I mean, not Naruto."

"How strange..." Fate frowned. "Ah... I think you'd better go.."

"What..?" Hinata frowned, then her eyes widened slightly. "I... have.."

"... a guest." Fate nodded, then smiled. "Enjoy..."

"Y-yeah.." Hinata nodded, blushing, and closed her eyes to slip back into the waking world of her true body, rising out of the blackspace.

"Hinata! Hinata-chan, wake up!" Naruto's voice could barely be called a whisper as he shook her shoulder energetically.

"What? Naruto-kun..?" Hinata asked, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. She'd actually been in a deep state of meditation, but in either case her eyes had been shut for over an hour and a half.

"I gotta talk to you." He grinned. "You'll never believe what happened last night!"

"W-what? Naruto-kun... you have to leave, someone will see you! The Byakugan can..."

"Relax, I know. I'll meet you by the tree, kay?" He grinned back, then winked and stabbed himself, causing the clone to explode in a puff of pink smoke that made Hinata cough.

"He's... already using it so casually..?" Hinata whispered to herself, staring into space. "He... truly is something else..." She smiled, softly. "Idiot savant..." She decided, somewhat fondly, before getting up and dressing in a black bodysuit and her white Hyuuga hoodie before gliding silently from the window to settle on the ground just beyond the walls of the family compound.

She hurried around to the tree to meet with Naruto, who grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"He~ey." He grinned. "You won't' believe what happened!"

"Oh..?" Hinata asked, softly, tilting her head.

"It was a bit after you left, but Mizuki-sensei showed up and tried to kill me and take the scroll... and Iruka-sensei protected me!" He nodded, energetically. "But... he said a whole bunch of stuff I don't get... " He turned and waved at her to follow him, strolling off into the woods. Hinata followed, a slight smile playing across her lips.

"Maybe I can help..." She told him, softly. "What did he say?"

"Mizuki-sensei... he told me why all the adults hate me so much. Only I don't really get it... he said that I was that demon fox that attacked the village twelve years ago. That's why I've got so much chakra."

"But..." Hinata frowned. "The fourth Hokage destroyed the nine-tails..." She bit her lip, thinking. "And in any case, you have human chakra... I'd be able to tell.." She looked up. "It's not just the same as animal chakra, there are a hundred small differences..."

"Like I said, I don't understand..." Naruto shrugged, not looking back at her. "But I beat him up, anyway. I did the clone technique and made a hundred or more... but he nearly killed Iruka-sensei." Suddenly, he seemed stiff with anger. "I should have ripped his fucking head off."

"N-Naruto-kun..?" Hinata frowned, stopping. "Are you okay..?"

"Huh?" He stopped and looked back. "I'm fine, Hina-chan... it just made me so angry. I can't imagine what I'd do if something happened to you, too..." He stepped towards her, a gentle look coming across his face as he took her hands.

"W-what..?" Hinata asked, stammering. She felt her face starting to heat as she blushed. He was suddenly standing very close to her, and looking down into her eyes...

"I think I might go on a rampage..." Naruto whispered, looking almost gleeful. It was as though he almost _wanted_ something to happen to her, to give him an excuse to destroy something.

"N-naruto-kun..? You're scaring me.." She whispered, trying to step back and pull free. He followed her, and her back hit the rough bark of a tree, forcing the air from her lungs in a surprised gasp.

"Don't be scared... it's going to be okay, Hina-chan... because I'll protect you..." Naruto continued, a psychotic gleam filtering into his blue eyes, a devilish smirk sliding across his face. "If anyone else tries to hurt you, I'll kill them..." Finally, he released her hands. "Ne, Hina-chan... Lets run away together."

"W-what?" Hinata asked, shaking inside. This... this wasn't Naruto. Not the Naruto she knew, who never got angry or violent... Always cheerful, except when the black depression threatened to crush him. Was it true? Was he really somehow connected to the Kyuubi, and that was making him act this way..?

"Run away with me... tonight. Now." Naruto turned away. "We'll go make a life together, where no-one cares that you're Hyuuga and I'm just a demon brat..." His fist was clenched, almost shaking with tension.

"N-no..." Hinata whispered. "You know... we can''t do that... Naruto-kun... because... you're going to be Hokage... right..? That's why... you came to school this morning... right? Right?" Her voice started rising as she started to panic. In another world, this would have been her dream, but in this existence, she had something to live for... a reason to be, beyond Naruto.

"It's useless..." Naruto growled, darkly. "No-one will ever accept me like this... except you. But you're special." He looked at her, eyes dark with anger, and she felt the fear spiking again. If she didn't go with him, what would he do? Was this really..? She concealed her thoughts behind her rising fear and reached for the power of her eyes.

"You believed in me... you'll come with me... we can even make our own village, some place for the rejects and failures to be safe." Naruto continued, taking a step back towards her and raising his fist in a threatening gesture.

"... Byakugan..." Hinata whispered, head hanging low and eyes closed.

"What? Hina-chan? I couldn't hear that... you'll come with me, won't you?" Naruto growled at her, invading her personal space again and putting his hands against the tree trunk, either side of her head. Hinata looked up at him, finally. He was too tall, too rugged and masculine. His hair wasn't quite spiky enough. Finally... he was wearing his goggles, and not the forehead protector he had brought to class that morning.

"No..." She murmured, tensing to fight. "No, I won't go with you... Mizuki-sensei..." She replied, softly.

"Chih." 'Naruto' made a derisive noise. "And I was starting to hope this would be as easy as it looked. Well, I guess the Hyuuga reject will be easy enough to subdue. You should make a suitable gift for the Cloud Village, they'll be happy to take me in now I'm not welcome in Leaf anymore." He smirked, grabbing her shoulders instead and spinning her round to pin her back against his chest. Hinata shrieked, struggling, but his grip was too strong, the transformation genjutsu not doing anything to lessen his sheer physical advantage over the eleven-year-old girl. "And that demon brat'll get his comeuppance when everyone learns he's killed a clan heir, even if she is useless Hyuuga Hinata. Better make it look good though... even you'd put up a bit of a struggle." Keeping her pinned with one hand, he bound her wrists in front of her with a conjured rope then shoved her forward against the tree, the rough bark scratching her face. Fear spiked in her as he ran the blade of a kunai down the back of her hoodie, and she squeezed her eyes shut. How could she have been so stupid..?

"And just to make sure you can't try and mischief..." The fake Naruto muttered, ripping the back of her bodysuit open then applying a burning jutsu that send a wave of agony through her. She could feel the curse seal burning into her shoulder blade as her White Eyes shut down, rendering her blind. Even if she opened her eyes, they would be useless. She squinted them open anyway in the vague hope that he wouldn't realise. "That'll shut down your chakra until I remove it when we get to Rain. There's no point fighting it, Hina-chan." There was no trace of the fake caring that had been in his voice while he'd been pretending to be a Naruto in love with her, and the nickname seemed almost scornful, derisive.

He roughly turned her round, bringing his kunai up. "A few bloodstains, some strips of clothing... Lucky for you, Cloud'll want you a maiden anyway... you're a bit young for me, but it'd be convincing."

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut again, fear shutting down her instincts. Then she felt a gently touch across her shoulders and chest, like a ghostly hug. '_Fate..!_' She realised, as the link opened, her mind fleeing, seeking safety in her arms. But this wasn't her father's training, wasn't a deserved punishment for her failure and weakness... As if that realisation awoke something in her, she felt her magic expanding into a field around herself. It wasn't the same as when she hardened it to form the under-layer of her barrier jacket, but far more diffuse. Acting almost like echo-location, she realised she could feel Mizuki, feel how much energy he had gathered and ready to use - almost none. She realised it was magic, not chakra, she was sensing. Mizuki didn't have enough to cast a light spell. It was a boost to her confidence. Not a huge one, but enough. She brought her bound hands up to catch Mizuki-as-Naruto's fist millimetres from her him cutting her bodysuit and the flesh beneath. He was strong, but she fed magic into her hands, hardening them as she whispered.

"Arutas... Krutas... Eygias..." She chanted softly, holding his hand back with both of hers. "Shining gods that look down upon us all..."

"What are you doing?" Mizuki growled, pushing against her hands. She was in a better position, however, as he had to use one hand to hold her still while she had both to stop his blade. He tried to pull it free, but she clung to his bare hand like a lifeline. "Praying won't help."

"Join your power to my own..." Hinata continued. "Thunder... Surge..." She finished, and released the power she'd called. Small crackles of power flared around her shoulders, before running down her arms and flowing through her hands into Mizuki's arm.

"W-what? Impossible, I sealed your Chakra!"" Mizuki stammered, then screamed and convulsed as the lightning shot through him. A convulsion smacked Hinata's head back against the tree bark, and she lost her grip on his blade-hand. Mizuki stumbled backwards, finally losing the transformation and catching himself on one knee to glare at her from under his lank, grey hair. Even the remaining charge couldn't lift it more than a few millimetres.

"How... do you remove the seal..?" Hinata asked, softly, almost fiercely as she felt Arf's protective instinct and anger flowing down the link they shared with Fate. She stepped towards the Chuunin, the rope binding her wrists falling away as she used his dropped Kunai to cut it. She lifted her right hand, focussing, and a golden orb of crackling power flickered into being above it.

"Hah.. haha.. .why the hell should I tell you?" Mizuki asked, the turned tables and his new-found fear making him hysterical. "You didn't even use and seals! You're just a reject Genin! W.. what the hell are you?"

"Hyuuga Hinata..." Hinata whispered back, barely audible, head hanging low. "Apprentice to Fate T. Harlaown... a Mid-type mage. If you surrender peacefully... then you may be allowed to plead in your own defence..."

"M-magic..." Mizuki laughed, manically. "I.. impossible... Raiton... it has to be a Raiton... you resisted my seal... how did you resist my seal..?" He stood up, taking a giant shuriken from the holster on his back and starting it spinning around his hand. " It doesn't matter... you're still... still just a Genin!" He declared, and leapt towards her.

"... Photon Lancer..." Hinata whispered, and the conjured orb of light became a metre-long dart, leaping forth and striking Mizuki in the chest, hurling him away from her and into a tree. This time he kept his grip on his weapon, twisting in the air to land with his feet against the tree, crouching there. Hinata conjured three more photon lancers, sending them at Mizuki, who leapt from the tree to dodge them and bounced off a second tree to head towards her.

"Haah!" Hinata called, slashing her hand through the air. The lances stopped, returning to their orb form, before lancing out again to strike Mizuki from the side, sending him crashing into the ground with a cry of pain. Mizuki picked himself up again, glaring at her from a loose-shouldered stance.

"Just... got lucky..." He glowered. "They're... not that strong... can't even... cut me."

"Photon Lancer does not cut. With each strike, a little of your life is chipped away, until you are unable to fight on. At this power level..." Hinata explained, softly. "You have no armour, so I'm only using about a third power for each one..."

"Chih..." Mizuki muttered, spitting on the ground. "Too soft. You'll always be a failure, Hina-chan, until you get rid of that weakness..."

"... very well.. as you wish..." Hinata whispered, at Fate's urging. "I can't... hold back any longer... if my life is on the line." She lifted her hand, folding it in three specific ways as Mizuki hurled a kunai from his free hand. "Round Shield." She intoned, catching the attack on a slowly rotating magic circle of glowing, yellow power. "Full power... gods above of lightning... Baruel, Zeruel, Browsel..." She chanted, Fate and Arf's support helping her, maintaining her barrier while she focussed on her strongest offensive spell. "Thunder... Smasher..." She gestured towards Mizuki, who was charging at her in an attempt to circumvent her barrier with melee, and unleashed the raging torrent of magical lightning directly at him. He tried to jump over it, but the power moved too quickly, catching him in the air and hurling him back against a tree, then breaking through it and pushing him into the ground, causing convulsions and screams of terrible pain. As the bombardment continued, it became a toss-up as to whether he suffocated, caught fire or snapped his own neck, thrashing wildly as his muscles randomly contracted, often against each other. As she continued to channel the spell, Hinata felt a dark lassitude falling across her. Suddenly, she knew, she was going to kill this Mizuki. It didn't disturb her as much as it could have. Should have. The screaming stopped, but she continued. All that meant was that there was no more air in his lungs to force out.

Darkness started to encroach on the edges of Hinata's vision, her eyes starting to blur as a great void yawned open beneath her. She was running out of strength to maintain the buster spell. Distantly, she heard Fate and Arf pleading with her to stop, but their voices seemed insignificant, pointless... She wasn't even aware of falling to her knees, but suddenly she had no more to give. There was more power there, just out of reach, but for some reason she couldn't take it. Couldn't use it. She reached deeper, and came up against a barrier.

"No, Hinata. Stop. Please." Fate begged her, and Hinata swayed, before collapsing into the darkspace.

"Fate..." She whispered, staring. The blonde was pale, her hair limp. She looked as bad as Hinata felt.

"Hinata... thank god.." Arf tackled her shoulders, clinging desperately to the broken-eyed girl. "I thought we lost you..."

"I... am fine..." Hinata tried to tell her, but her voice came out as a dry croak.

"No, you're not!" Fate replied, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "You nearly burned yourself out! It's not worth it, not for an idiot who just wants to sell you. That power is for making your father proud. Remember?"

"Y... yes..." Hinata nodded, then swallowed. Fate and Arf looked almost transparent, and she could barely feel the wolf-girl's arms around her shoulders. "Where are you... going..?" She asked, hesitantly.

"You don't have enough strength to maintain the link any longer, Hinata... I'm almost tapped out too. You borrowed my power..." Fate explained, softly. "Please, get home, look after yourself..." She was almost invisible as the darkspace began to lighten. "I'll see you agai..."

The girls vanished completely, and Hinata groaned in pain, coming back to the real world. The stench of burned hair and flesh was heavy in the air, but she couldn't move a muscle to escape the stink or return home. She could only hope that someone from the house would come, soon, and rescue her. Hinata couldn't even muster the strength to roll onto her back, and so she lay there in her ripped and torn bodysuit, severely depleted.

She finally managed to move almost three hours later, having recovered just enough energy to haul herself upright and start staggering, painfully, through the forest. She didn't know where she was going - she just knew that the Hyuuga compound wasn't an option, with the chakra seal on her back. She just walked, putting one foot in front of the other, one hand holding the ragged tatters of her bodysuit against her front, using the other to support herself frequently against the trees she was passing. She was in sight of a row of houses when her strength finally gave out around dawn, sending her collapsing back to the forest floor. She could barely cough to expel the dirt she'd almost swallowed, but she struggled to rise none the less. '_never... give up... or take back my words..._' She repeated to herself, forcing herself to her knees, but finding that she could go no further. Her legs locked up, and she slowly crumpled to the floor. Her one last thought before unconsciousness claimed her again was to send out a telepathic message, in the vain hope that somewhere, one of the villagers had the proper nature to hear her...

'_Help me... you who can hear my voice... please... help..._' She pleaded, before falling again into painless oblivion.

* * *

She woke slowly, painfully, and felt a stab of fear when she realised she couldn't open her eyes. She only relaxed when she realised that they were taped shut. Memories of the paralysis that had gripped her before she passed out terrorised her before she banished them with a twitch of her finger and a soft gasp for breath. A few moments later, her eyes were untaped and she opened them slowly, fear stopping her heart again as she realised she was still blind. Her chakra was still sealed, but it didn't sound like she was in a hospital.

"You're awake... I was worried." The voice was slightly familiar, and she took a moment to place it.

"Kurenai-sensei..?" She asked, her voice a dry croak. "You... heard me..?"

"Yes, and I was quite surprised, too." Red-eyed Kurenai smiled at her, gently. "I wasn't the only one, I think, but I was the closest. You were only about two hundred metres from my back door."

"Thank you..." Hinata whispered, lowering her gaze. "How... long have I been asleep..?"

"Two days." Kurenai told her, quietly. "I didn't know what happened, so I called in a favour from a medic-nin to check you. No-one else knows you're here except the Hokage. What happened, Hina-chan?" She frowned when the name made her patient flinch. "Did your family do this?"

"N-no..." Hinata shook her head, swallowing. "C..could I have a drink... please... my mouth is so dry..."

"Of course." Kurenai looked startled. "I should have thought... please, forgive me." Her sensei smiled down at her, before getting up. She returned a minute later with a glass of water with a straw. "Small sips, OK, Hinata?" She cautioned her Genin, who nodded and lifted her head to the straw, obediently taking small mouthfuls. Kurenai let her have five or six before taking the glass away.

"T-thank you... it was... Mizuki-sensei..." Hinata told her.

"Him?" Kurenai blinked, then frowned. "He stuck around that long? What happened?"

"He... sent a disguised clone into my room..." Hinata explained. "And asked me to meet him by the tree outside the compound gates..." She bit her lip. "He was... someone I trusted. He tried to get me to leave voluntarily, but I realised he wasn't who I thought he was. He put a c-chakra seal on me and tried to make it look like N-naruto-kun had killed me..."

"A chakra seal?" Kurenai asked, frowning. "Then that mark on your back..."

"On my shoulder... it felt like he b-burned me. But he said he could t-take it off when we got to C-cloud village..." Hinata swallowed. "Please... can you take it off..? If my father finds out..."

"I understand." Kurenai nodded, "But I don't know enough about seals. I'll have to ask a specialist to help, unless we can find Mizuki. How did you escape?"

"I..." Hinata swallowed. "I killed him. I c-called lightning until he was d-dead..." She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the memory of Mizuki's screams, the smell of burning human. "Oh, god, I really..."

"Ssh..." Kurenai stroked her student's hair gently. "It's OK. Remember what the doctor at the academy said. You're a ninja, Hinata-chan. You did what you had to. It was you or him." She told the twelve-year-old. Hinata started crying, silently, and Kurenai frowned slightly, trying to think of how to get through to the girl. "Your father would be proud." She told her at last. "You defeated a Chuunin-sensei, all by yourself, and made it back to report."

"He... he would really be..?" Hinata asked, looking in her direction through a shining veil of water across her blank, lilac eyes.

"Really." Kurenai smiled, then frowned again. "Hinata-chan... is there something wrong with your eyes?"

"N-no!" Hinata squeaked, shutting them quickly. "Th-they're just sore, that's all."

"..." Kurenai was silent for a moment. "It's the Byakugan, isn't it?" She asked, finally. "You can't' see at all without it, can you?"

The girl on the bed screwed her eyes shut and turned her face away in shame. It was the Hyuuga's weakness, and her failure had revealed it to an outsider.

"Oh, Hinata..." Kurenai whispered, pained. "It's alright. Your secret is safe with me. I promise."

"You... I'm supposed to kill you... for finding out..." Hinata whispered. "No-one can know... or..."

"Hinata-chan..." Kurenai touched her arm, and the Hyuuga girl flinched away. "I'm not the only Jounin-sensei who knows." She decided to take a gamble. She didn't know if she was telling the truth or not.

"W-what?" Hinata asked, looking in her direction automatically, despite the fact she missed, staring over her shoulder.

"Maito Gui knows." Kurenai told her. "Your cousin Neji's jounin-sensei. He uses chakra sealing to teach his students not to grow reliant on ninjutsu. There's no way he doesn't know, so you don't have to worry." The red-eyed illusionist told her, stroking her hair. "He hasn't told anyone about it... neither will I. Remember, you can always come to me when you're in trouble, Hinata-chan. You can... and Kiba... and Shino. That's what it means to be your jounin-sensei. OK?"

"Y..." Hinata sniffled, nodding. "Yes.." Unconsciously, she shifted closer to her sensei, who gave in and hugged the smaller girl carefully. As though it was a signal, Hinata let the tears flow. Kurenai held her, gently, and stroked her hair until she had exhausted herself again and fallen back into a fitful doze.

(Ed: _Innocent Starter_)


End file.
